Rave Reviews for Rigoletto at the Royal Swedish Opera
Sofia Jupither’s new production of Rigoletto starring Leonardo Capalbo premiered to high praise.
Read below what the critics are saying.
“Tenor Leonardo Capalbo is both vocally and dramatically a sultry and fiery Duke; a restless destructive Don Giovanni who maniacally seeks new women to conquer. His devotion in suffering does not only seduce Gilda, but also the Maddalena of Katarina Leoson and Ella Morin’s page.”
-Karen Helander, Svenska Dagbladet, November 2018
Leonardo Capalbo as the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto
“The Duke, well sung by Leonardo Capalbo, is the arch villain here, though he is driven by forces that seem unstoppable. As the embodiment of all the world's self-centered men, it appears when he bursts into the famous ‘La donna é mobile’ and complains of the fickleness of women when he himself only wants to go after the next one.”
-Bjorn G Stenberg, Upsala Nya Tidning, November 2018
“Leonardo Capalbo makes an interesting interpretation of the Duke, passionate, powerful and emotionally unstable, and sings well despite a cold on premiere night. In his hands, ‘La donna è mobile’ feels like an emotional projection: when he sings about how lightweight and unreliable women are, he really describes himself. ‘Rigoletto’ is about power and powerlessness. It originates in the 16th century, but the Duke of Mantua, the alpha-male around which everything circles, is a timeless figure. Not least in terms of #MeToo, he feels eerily contemporary. He is rich, has an appetite for women, respects no one, is feared by many and gets away with everything. His charm and beautiful exterior make women fall for him - he has a luminous power, which makes it logical that his solo arias are the most powerful in the opera. ‘La donna è mobile’ and ‘Questa o quella’ in his time are equivalent to macho-hiphop hit songs like Lil Wayne's ‘Love Me.’”
-Nicholas Ringskog Ferrada-Noli, Dagens Nyheter, November 2018
A scene from Rigoletto
“What stays with you like a stab in the side afterwards is Leonardo Capalbo’ s Duke. He breaks down every girl, woman, daughter, mother, under every coat of arms, without distinction, confident of his own charm. While the male collective all around turns away from this flagrant power addict. It is very nasty. While his tenor is brilliant, distinct and free.”
-Gunilla Brodrej, Expressen.se, November 2018
“Leonardo Capalbo enlivened a psychopathic Duke; a deranged bully inebriated with power. At the same time, his love for Gilda was real, his fascination with her youth and her innocence a sign of his tragic inability to experience real human relationships. Capalbo’s tenor was generous, bold and fearless, perfect for the Duke. His performance was a great success, confirming his deep understanding of Verdi’s music.”